KI Flood Recovery

Community Information Session

The Flood Recovery Committee held a Community Information Session on Thursday 28 th July at the Birchmore Bowling Club where the consultants, Southfront, presented their findings to the community. There was some excellent discussion and points raised by those who attended. Resident packs are available for the landowners who could potentially be impacted by any flood mitigation options and overview information on the options for the wider community with feedback forms.

The Committee is seeking a consensus view via feedback forms as to whether the options are worth pursuing.

MacGillivray / Haines Flood Mitigation Options Study

The MacGillivray/Haines district is low-lying and has the type of topography which means surface water runoff from the surrounding catchment is collected by a number of lagoons. The distinguishing feature of these lagoons is that they have no overflow relief or connection to the sea and so the land surrounding these lagoon areas is vulnerable to extended periods of inundation following wet years.

The district experienced a significant rainfall event in June 2013, the impact of which was compounded by above average rainfall recorded for a number of months for that year. The event resulted in elevated water levels within numerous lagoons that inundated public roads and access into properties, inundated agricultural land and prevented access to some tourist/accommodation destinations.

Serious flooding events have also been recorded in 1910, 1956 and 1992.

The significant identified loss of productivity prompted the Kangaroo Island Flood Recovery Committee to investigate options for flood mitigation in the form of internal or external drainage or a water management network capable of handling exceptional events and maintaining lagoon water at acceptable levels.

The options paper will satisfy a long-held community desire for the investigation of sustainable solutions for this flood-prone area.

The scope of this Flood Mitigation Options Study was to:-

1. Establish the ‘normal’ boundaries for water in lagoons in the area.

2.Establish catchment areas draining to each lagoon, and the drainage behaviour across the Study area by which surface waters are conveyed to each lagoon.

Impact Assessment Report June 2014

A Flood Recovery Co-ordinator was appointed in December, 2013, as a result of discretionary funding from the State Government. One of the community-driven tasks for the co-ordinator was to undertake an impact assessment which was completed in February and March, 2014. The report released in June 2014 from the link below.